Their backs aren’t exactly up against the wall, but the Washington Wizards can now feel it, that sense of impending doom if things aren’t corrected, if a mindset does not change.

Trailing a best-of-seven series 3-0 is as close to sporting death as taxes and the Wizards will be in that most unenviable of positions if they don’t take care of homecourt.

On the ACC floor, Washington got floored, first in Game 1 and then in Tuesday’s Game 2, despite a very good third quarter, the kind of all-out play a team needs but the kind that is not sustainable when one digs itself such a big hole.

John Wall needs to be the John Wall who took over in the third.

Maybe in Washington, Bradley Beal will finally surface.

Oddly enough, Washington’s starting backcourt aired their concerns earlier in the day about the officiating from Saturday, words that now seem hollow given the events of Game 2.

No words will get the Wizards back in this series.

Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry (front) and Jonas Valanciunas during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards Marcin Gortat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors OG Anunoby during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards ohn Wall in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors OG Anunoby during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards John Wall in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors OG Anunoby during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards ohn Wall in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards John Wall in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Delon Wright during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Delon Wright during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Norman Powell during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Serge Ibaka during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards Markieff Morris in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors C.J. Miles during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors C.J. Miles during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Serge Ibaka during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards Ian Mahinmi in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Jonas Valanciunas during 1st half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors C. J. Miles during 2nd half action against the Washington Wizards John Wall in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors C. J. Miles during 2nd half action against the Washington Wizards John Wall in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan during 2nd half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Rapper Drake cheers on the Toronto Raptors during 2nd half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan during 2nd half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey during 2nd half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey - behind him is rapper Drake - during 2nd half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Delon Wright (front facing) and DeMar DeRozan during 2nd half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry (left) and Serge Ibaka during 2nd half action against the Washington Wizards Mike Scott in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry and rapper Drake during 2nd half action against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan (left) and Kyle Lowry leave the court following a win against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference - First Round at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Toronto Blue Jays' Luke Maile (#21) is congratulated on his game-winning RBI single by Aledmys Diaz (#1) and Kevin Pillar (#11)during Tuesday's second game against the Kansas City Royals. (GETTY IMAGES)

PHOTOS: Raptors-Wizards Game 2

When Ty Lawson, who previously played in the NBA last April, emerges as your best player in the opening half, you know something is woefully amiss.

The Wizards showed all their cards, but nothing worked for an extended stretch.

Perhaps the Raptors are that much better and that No. 1 versus No. 8 seeding matchup reflects the disparity between the two clubs.

Washington must win Friday night or this series is all but over.

Even if the Wizards do find a way to stop the Raptors, and Washington has been abysmal in the opening two games, they must return to Toronto with the series tied 2-2.

There’s talent, but the Wizards can’t play catchup like they have in the opening two games.

Eventually, a run gets made, but it can’t be maintained.

And now Washington goes back home trailing 2-0.

The Wizards gave up 114 points on Saturday, a whopping 130 on Tuesday.

Whether it was the Raptors falling prey to complacency, Washington forced to extract more when so little was being summoned in the game’s opening 24 minutes, the momentum did swing in the third quarter.

Washington did emerge as the better team in part because Wall emerged as the game’s best player.

Wall needs to be at his best and, when he’s leading the way and imposing his will, the Wizards follow.

He was a non-factor in the opening half, but Wall played like an all-star in the third quarter as Washington trailed by 10 points heading into the final quarter.

It was a Wall block on Lucas Nogueira followed by a feed to Ty Lawson, who buried an open three, that brought the Wizards to within seven points four minutes into the fourth.

The key to Washington’s turnaround was its defence and its decision to go super small, which one could see a mile away because the Wizards had to force a quicker tempo.

Washington came to within five points until the Raptors regained their swagger on both ends of the floor.

The Wizards must now regroup and have a few days before Friday’s Game 3 to figure out whether to start the game small or continue with their traditional lineup, which has not worked in the opening two games of this opening-round series.

There have been more wretched first halves in the history of Wizards franchise, and before that when the franchise was known as the Bullets, but none many could match the capitulation that would unfold in Game 2.

It went from bad to worse to embarrassing to downright pathetic, the Wizards unable to make shots, the team seemingly incapable of making any stops, so little fight, such a huge deficit to overcome.

When a team trails a series 1-0 on the road, most teams try to bounce back by setting the pace, imposing their will and yet there were the Wizards, a team that yielded 44 first-quarter points.

By intermission, Washington trailed 76-58.

Toronto was shooting 56% from the field, the Raptors making 50% of their shots from distance.

When the ball was being swung by the Raptors, Washington did little except watch, its defence a complete afterthought.

It didn’t help when Wall picked up two quick fouls, Washington’s plight made more daunting when Beal couldn’t find any rhythm.

Washington’s bigs, who got into foul trouble Saturday in Game 1, weren’t good in Game 2, forcing head coach Scott Brooks to go small.

The Wizards bench did a far better job in competing than the team’s starting unit.

Had it not been for Washington’s second unit, the game would have been over by halftime.

Too often, Wall went one on one.

Beal forced his game and took a seat on the bench when he was in a mismatch trying to defend Jonas Valanciunas on the block, a huge size disadvantage that led to a Beal foul.

In Game 1, Mike Scott was called for a flagrant one foul.

In Game 2, it was Ian Mahinmi getting whistled for a flagrant foul.

Disjointed would be the best way to describe Washington’s game, a team that trailed by as many as 22 points and had no clue on how to defend.

Offensively, there wasn’t much ball movement and not enough easy looks were produced.

You knew Washington would tweak its game plan and the Wizards went small once Marcin Gortat was getting exposed.

The rotation off the bench changed to reflect that small-ball dimension.

Small, big or anything else that could conceivably be hatched, nothing worked.

But you knew eventually some fight would be mounted and it arrived in the third quarter, the Wizards playing with a greater sense of urgency and purpose.

And to be perfectly blunt, they had no other choice when their first-half play was so brutal.

Wall, used more in high screen and rolls, was much engaged and far more lethal.

Defensively, there was greater activity, the kind of demeanor Washington had to have, and should have had, when the game began.

The Wizards ran the floor well by going small and their defensive intensity had picked up.

FOR STARTERS …

It was a 10-point hole in Game 1, the deficit increasing by five in Game 2, at some point the Wizards need to start games the right way and not in arrears.

Time is now running out with Washington dropping the first two games of its opening-round series and all one needs to do is look at how the Wizards start games.

Tuesday, Washington trailed early and ultimately could not recover from its 44-27 disadvantage after the first quarter, a sure sign of defeat when playing on the road.

Game 3 is Friday and the Wizards should look at starting small, a lineup that did well in Game 1, the mix that brought the Wizards to within five points in the third.

Marcin Gortat has been a disappointment, one of many who have failed to show up.

Ditto Bradley Beal, an all-star who scored nine points in Tuesday’s 130-119 loss. In two games, Beal has attempted three free throws.

Ty Lawson, who signed with Washington last week after playing in China, had eight assists and scored 14 points in his Wizards debut. Mike Scott poured in 20.

Washington must change up its starting group or this series may end up similar to the spring of 2015 when the Raptors and Wizards last met in the post-season.

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